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22 October 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath

The National Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2020) is a project of Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) in collaboration with Universities South Africa (USAf). 

The University of the Free State (UFS) has been selected to host the National Student Entrepreneurship Week from 2 to 4 November 2020. The programme is presented virtually and will be streamed by the UFS from 2 to 4 November; the events can be accessed live on the Whova app and on Facebook: @EDHEStudententrepreneurship, allowing students to watch at their convenience.

Background of SEW 2020

The National Student Entrepreneurship Week was piloted in 2017 and successfully executed in 2018 by the public universities and TVET colleges. This year, themed #AfroTech, #SEW2020 aims to gain participation from all (26) public universities and TVET colleges.

Objectives of SEW 2020

The objectives of Student Entrepreneurship Week are to raise awareness among students that participation in the economy is not necessarily only through the avenue of formal employment. Students are encouraged to develop innovative and creative ideas to solve many problems facing society. This year, the event allows universities and TVET colleges to showcase the different entrepreneurial activities and achievements of their institutions, which are intended to raise awareness and inspire students towards entrepreneurship and emphasising the benefits of having the best of both worlds as a student and as an entrepreneur.

Format of event

The event promises to offer a high-impact experience that will be easily accessible virtually, with multi-institutional participation and collaboration nationally. Participating universities will contribute to the content of the programme, which will be curated by the EDHE and livestreamed by the EDHE production partner.

The virtual format of the event allows students to preselect sessions in order to create a personalised experience that is customised for their personal schedules and circumstances. Students can watch the live stream as well as missed sessions on YouTube, and further engage with their own institution or with EDHE on social media.

More information on the Student Entrepreneurship Week can be found at  https://edhe.co.za/

News Archive

UFS law researcher part of international project to produce human trafficking reference book
2017-03-17

Description: Human trafficking reference book Tags: Human trafficking reference book


Trafficking in Persons has been in the spotlight as an ever-growing crime around the world. Research being done in South Africa by various universities over the years has yielded results that are internationally recognised.

Part of this work has been done by Prof Beatri Kruger, Research Associate at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State (UFS), who has been involved in research that has created awareness around the world on various methods of human trafficking in Africa. She is currently working on co-authoring a chapter in the International Handbook on Human Trafficking to be published by Palgrave, the first of its kind and a major reference work in this field, with Marcel van der Watt, a lecturer at the University of South Africa (Unisa) Department of Police Practice. The reference book is a massive international project that will have more than 60 international contributors and will be published in 2018.

Contribution to international research
The chapter is titled: Breaking bondages: Methods to control victims, ‘Juju’ and human trafficking. It explores the methods used by Nigerian and other West African traffickers, namely “juju” rituals, to subdue their victims for sexual exploitation in various parts of the world. The chapter further charts various physical, financial and the psychological control mechanisms, essential in establishing an informed counter-trafficking global response.

The book and other research being done is a step in the right direction in further understanding specific practices, and can be used to augment international research, support the work of NGOs, law enforcement agencies and individuals who work with victims worldwide, to be able to understand the tools used by perpetrators, and to stop the crime from growing.

Prof Kruger said there were new opportunities at the research division of the UFS Centre for Human Rights to explore human rights violations that occur in human-trafficking scenarios, thus contributing towards more efficient strategies to combat this crime.

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